Safety comes first
desert View academy earns Healthy-Verify certification for taking steps to protect health of students, staff
When the COVID-19 outbreak reached its peak in Yuma County in late spring, it became apparent to Desert View Academy (DVA)’s administrators that planning for the 20202021 school year wouldn’t be as simple and lighthearted as its forerunners.
To give families and staff a stronger sense of comfort and confidence in DVA’s health and safety procedures, the K-5 school worked with HealthyVerify, an organization associated with Arizona State University and Barrow Neurological Institute’s infectious disease team, to develop and implement a series of stringent, DVA-specific protocols for its return to in-person instruction on Sept. 8.
Through its efforts, DVA
earned a HealthyVerify certification – a stamp of approval, if you will – indicating that the school has been inspected and found to be “taking smart steps to reduce the risk of transmitting infectious diseases,” according to healthyverify. com.
In addition to mask-wearing, handwashing and social distancing when possible, counted among these steps are daily symptom and temperature screenings, for which parents are responsible before bringing students to school; disinfecting high-touch
surfaces with ultraviolet sanitizing wands; and air purifiers, which have been installed in each classroom and can be turned to a “turbo” setting at the end of each session to further kill any germs that may be lurking.
These procedures are
further outlined in the school’s mitigation plan, available at https://dva. dvsk12.com/covid-19-information.
“My business is education,” said Principal Debra Weigel. “And health and safety are very much a part of that. But I’m not an
expert in that. So to be able to partner with the experts through HealthyVerify and have everything in black and white gives me a sense of comfort that I can go forward with what I know with my staff, my students
and my families, knowing that HealthyVerify has given us the guidelines for safety. It’s been very rigorous, but I think it will help parents and guardians also believe we are doing what we say we’re doing.”
According to Weigel, it was important to DVA that parents not only be informed of what their students’ return to campus would look like, but to be offered an alternative choice if their child isn’t ready to return right away.
In lieu of returning to in-person instruction, families can choose to carry on with distance learning (which began for DVA on Aug. 17), receiving virtual instruction from DVA teachers who are solely devoted to that learning model.
According to Weigel, of the school’s 840 students, one-third has opted to continue learning at home and the remaining two-thirds have chosen to resume in-person instruction Sept. 8. They are not “locked in” to these models, however; if and when families are ready to transition from
their current instructional model to the other available option, they are free to do so. There is no time constraint or shame in changing one’s mind, Weigel said.
“Parents are in a no-win situation right now,” said Weigel. “If they decide to keep their kids at home (for distance learning) other parents will say, ‘Why are you doing that? Get our kids back in school.’ And if they choose to put their kids in school, other parents will say, ‘I can’t believe you’re putting your kids in school, they could get COVID.’ We have always believed in parent choice and we need to continue that. I might have some parents that decide to keep their kiddos at home all year. If they do that, we are going to honor that and provide them that best DVA education that they’re used to.”
Since distance learning commenced on Aug. 17 for DVA, students in need of on-site support services have had the opportunity to receive them while becoming familiar with the new protocols.
While traditional recess in the school’s outdoor playscape isn’t possible at this time, modifications have been made to ensure students stay active and take regular breaks from their work. At their prescribed times, each grade level is able to go outside to get some fresh air and participate in no-contact games led by their P.E. teachers.
Routine “mask breaks” have been purposely scheduled into the school day as well to fight discouragement and fatigue.
“We’ve got spots in the room where they’re six feet away from somebody and can just go sit down, take a break, read a book, take their mask off for a little bit,” Weigel said. “We’re just trying to give some op
tions (and) a sense of normalcy for kids while maintaining safety. We don’t want kids to hate school. Kids, as well as adults – we all need a break. We need to build that time where you have your joke of the day, or you get up and stretch, or you have your snack break. School should be a time to look forward to coming to.”
According to Weigel, DVA has historically dedicated itself to fostering a sense of belonging and continuity within its student body – which is important now more than ever before. This year, there is a heavy emphasis on social and emotional wellness.
“We don’t know what’s been going through a kid’s mind,” said Weigle. “In March, their school closed and they didn’t see their friends again, and they had no warning. They left school on a Friday and Monday they couldn’t come back to school. Their whole lives changed.”
According to Weigel, the current school year has proved to be much smoother than the last – attributable to simply having more time to plan and prepare for “what-if” scenarios.
“Plans will change, but
the planning process is essential,” said Weigel. “The planning time and knowing what I’m going to do and being proactive, and then being ready to pivot, is essential. We’ve already had great parent feedback on how the year is going compared to the spring. The spring was very different. All of a sudden, we had to pivot and do it. But now we are prepared and we are ready with our best practices.”
By being particularly proactive in the attainment of its HealthyVerify certification, Weigel said DVA assures its families and staff alike that their health and safety are valued.
“We’re in uncharted waters here and none of us went to school for this,” said Weigel. “We will continue to watch the trends and follow the guidelines from Yuma County and from the state. I don’t believe we’re afraid, but I believe that we have a healthy respect for symptoms. I’m hoping that the parents understand that we brought in the experts to help us in that area, because what we really want is what’s best for their child.”